Trump tells Congress to ‘keep working’ on disaster aid bill

President Trump on Thursday urged lawmakers to “keep working” on disaster aid legislation instead of voting for a bill put forth by Democrats, which he called “bad.”

{mosads}”House Republicans should not vote for the BAD DEMOCRAT Disaster Supplemental Bill which hurts our States, Farmers & Border Security,” Trump tweeted on the eve of the expected House vote.

“We want to do much better than this. All sides keep working and send a good BILL for immediate signing!” he added.

House Republicans should not vote for the BAD DEMOCRAT Disaster Supplemental Bill which hurts our States, Farmers & Border Security. Up for vote tomorrow. We want to do much better than this. All sides keep working and send a good BILL for immediate signing!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2019

The House is expected to vote Friday on an emergency funding bill that would disperse $17.2 billion in relief for recent tornadoes and wildfires as well as Hurricanes Florence, Michael, Harvey and Irma. It would also provide $3 billion more for flooding in the Midwest and other natural disasters.

Should the measure pass the Democratic-led lower chamber, it would shift the focus to the GOP-led Senate, where lawmakers have struggled to reach an agreement on the stalled disaster aid package. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he would like to see a bill pass before the Memorial Day recess, despite hurdles.

Funding for Puerto Rico has been a particularly contentious issue, with the disaster aid bill stalemating earlier this year after Trump criticized Puerto Rico’s handling of recovery money. The president tweeted earlier this week that “Puerto Rico should be very happy and the Dems should stop blocking much needed Disaster Relief.”

At a Wednesday rally in the Florida Panhandle, Trump said he would secure $448 million to help with recovery from Hurricane Michael.